I am a Red Cross VolunteerVolunteering is what we doToday, tomorrow, and the next day tooHelping people on their recovery begins with stepsTogether we’ll work on cleaning up the confusion and messEager to assist and ready at a moment’s noticeHelping people and meeting new friends is an added bonusVolunteering is given from within our heartsToday, and tomorrow right from the startResources and guidance a soft loving gesture in a time of needTo help get people back on their feetDisasters happen day and nightRed Cross volunteers lead the way with a shining lightEyes of care watching over youSmiles to brighten your hearts that turned heavily blueRather on the phone or in a shelter We’re here to help you fill alittle betterListening, sharing, and caring to help guide youNothing is to tough for us to help you throughFor helping people far from home and near I am a Red Cross Volunteer

Out of tragedy and disaster comes the stories of courage, strength and acts of kindness. Kate Burgess, CEO, FulfillNet and her team, demonstrate firsthand how a small act of kindness can make a big impact.

In honor of the companies they serve, many on the East Coast, they have chosen to forego a traditional holiday gift and instead give a significant donation to offer assistance to those impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

Thank you to Kate and your team for your $3,000 gift to the American Red Cross! Your gift will go far in providing hope and help to those in need.

Thank you for being a friend of the American Red Cross and for all you do in our community!

The American Red Cross today announced that over the past three months, more than one million smart phone users have downloaded the recently released First Aid and Hurricane Apps.

These free apps are part of a series created by the American Red Cross for both iPhone and Android platforms. The apps provide users with real time information on what to do before, during and after emergencies.

“The advances in smart phone technology have allowed the Red Cross to revolutionize how the public gets its safety and preparedness information,” said Jack McMaster, president of Preparedness and Health and Safety Services for the Red Cross. “We’ve moved from having volumes of general information sitting on shelves to putting emergency-specific information right in people’s hands.”

Early evidence suggests that this is making a difference in emergency situations. In online reviews of the app, people have reported using the First Aid App to respond to everything from cuts and sprains, to choking, seizures and strokes. According to one user, “I was in my friend’s car with two others when suddenly my friend started having a seizure. I immediately looked at this app for help while calling 9-1-1 on another phone. I told the police about it and they said that there’s a good chance the information in this app saved my friend’s life. Thank you, American Red Cross.”

“As Hurricane Isaac approached the Gulf Coast, our Hurricane App was put to the test,” McMaster added. “Hundreds of thousands of people downloaded the app and spent an average of 30 minutes using the app – demonstrating its value to consumers.”

Nearly 2 million weather alerts were issued and usage of the Shelter Finder feature doubled during and after Isaac. People also used the app to send “I’m Safe” messages to their loved ones.

National Red Cross experts in health, safety and preparedness have thoroughly reviewed and field tested the information and advice provided in Red Cross apps.

Apps can help prepare people for emergencies, but they are not a substitute for training. Red Cross First Aid and CPR/AED training empowers people to know how to respond to emergencies in case advanced medical help is delayed. People can go to redcross.org/takeaclass for course information and to register.

The Red Cross responds to nearly 70,000 disasters each year and we help people get ready to respond to emergencies by providing these apps for free. The Red Cross needs the help of the public to continue this lifesaving effort. People can make a donation to the Red Cross by going to redcross.org, texting REDCROSS to 90999 or by calling 1-800-REDCROSS.

About the American Red Cross:The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies more than 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

By WBAY, By Bao Vang – click HERE for video of story.As Tropical Storm Isaac barrels toward Florida, the Red Cross is getting ready to open dozens of shelters across the Sunshine State.

Friday morning, trained disaster workers Betsy LeClair and Joel O’Connell from Two Rivers left from Austin Straubel Airport in Brown County to head to Tampa. They were checked in before the sun rose.

“My partner and I are flying to Tampa to prepare for the impending Hurricane that may or may not hit Florida,” O’Connell said.

They’re among 600 Red Cross volunteers across the country who have taken emergency response training classes to prepare to provide disaster relief.

“When Katrina hit, it was an eye opener for everybody,” said O’Connell. “It’s better to be well-prepared and not have to use your facilities than it is to try and scrape things together at the height of the storms.”

O’Connell and LeClair believe in Tampa they’ll be working to provide shelter and food to people evacuated from their homes.

“We’re quite a ways from the eye of the storm. We’ll be in an outlying area, because the people who are in danger will have been moved to the shelters,” O’Connell said.

Strangers helping strangers during disasters is what the Red Cross is all about, says volunteer director Jody Weyers.

“Volunteers for the American Red Cross are the heart of the organization. We are a volunteer-led organization. Without our volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to provide the programs or services that we do in the community,” Weyers said.

Two other volunteers from Fond du Lac also headed down to Florida to provide relief during the storm.

The Red Cross says it has 22 emergency response vehicles already in Florida and 28 more are headed to the state in preparation for the storm. They have dozens more on stand-by.

Tropical Storm Isaac is expected to hit the Dominican Republic and Haiti Friday. It’s expected to hit Cuba by the weekend and become a hurricane by Monday as it makes landfall.

WASHINGTON, September 6, 2011 — The American Red Cross provided food and shelter for more than 1,000 people around the country Monday night from multiple disasters, including residents impacted by wildfires in Texas and Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, which left severe weather in its wake over the Labor Day weekend.

In Texas, more than 450 residents spent Monday night in 10 Red Cross shelters as wildfires burned hundreds of homes and forced residents to evacuate. The Red Cross disaster response in Texas now joins multiple other Red Cross operations underway across the U.S. in response to floods, other wildfires and tornadoes.

Tornadoes spawned by remnants of Lee damaged homes and caused evacuations in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee on Monday, leading the Red Cross to open shelters in all three states. Red Cross shelters were also opened in Louisiana and Mississippi as Lee dumped torrential rain on the Gulf Coast. Heavy rains and extensive flooding are expected to continue as Lee’s remnants expand northeast into the Tennessee Valley and central Appalachian mountains through Tuesday.

The Red Cross is also continuing to help people impacted by Hurricane Irene. To date, the Red Cross has served more than 1.6 million meals and snacks and provided approximately 58,000 overnight shelter stays since the storm made landfall on August 27. The Red Cross is also distributing supplies to help residents who are cleaning up homes damaged by Irene’s wind, rain and floods. So far, the Red Cross has given out more than 516,000 relief items such as hygiene kits, mops, brooms, tarps, work gloves and coolers.

“Right now our focus is making sure people forced from their homes by floods and wildfires have a safe place to stay and a good meal,” said Charley Shimanski, Red Cross senior vice president of disaster services. “The Red Cross works year-round to be prepared to help people affected by emergencies, and that’s why we’re able to respond to so many disasters at one time.”

The Red Cross currently has disaster relief operations active in more than a dozen states, and current estimates for Red Cross relief for Hurricane Irene alone are from $10 million to $15 million.

Those who want to help can make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. This gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters. Visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS; you can also text the word “REDCROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to local American Red Cross chapters or to the American Red Cross,P.O. Box 37243,Washington,DC20013.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

James Patrenets of Rosendale heads out east as an American Red Cross volunteer to prepare for disaster assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. Patrenets departed on Friday in an Emergency Response Vehicle. (Patrick Flood/The Reporter)

Area volunteers with the American Red Cross departed Friday, heading east to support Hurricane Irene preparations and response.

Among them is James Patrenets, 63, of Rosendale, who is driving an Emergency Response Vehicle that traveled from Stevens Point and picked him up around noon at the Fond du Lac Red Cross headquarters, 272 N. Main St.

Emblazoned with the red and white colors of the Red Cross, the ERV will be loaded with food products that can be delivered to neighborhoods after Hurricane Irene hits land and passes through, said Steve Hansen, Red Cross regional chapter executive for Northeast Wisconsin.

Irene is predicted to be the largest storm to hit the East Coast in more than 70 years and could threaten big population centers. The focus is on North Carolina.

More than 200 Red Cross mobile feeding vehicles, including another from Green Bay, are heading toward the coast to help people in the path of the storm.

“With disasters of this magnitude, we deploy resources to provide canteen services to people affected by the storm,” Hansen said.

The ERV’s and volunteers will arrive at a staging area along the East Coast. After damages are assessed, the vehicles will move in to affected areas, Hansen said.

Volunteers will remain in the area for up to three weeks.

For those with friends and family living along the East Coast, the Red Cross has set up Safe and Well, a secure easy-to-use online tool to help connect families in an emergency. People can register by visiting the Red Cross website or calling 1 (800) RED CROSS (1 (800) 733-2767).